okay, this Thread has completely changed my thoughts on the combo seats so now i am trying to decide whether to get the Radian or to get a Marathon.
T
he installing problems make me a little nervous about the radian and my son loves his Roundabout. As far as i can see the Radian does not recline and my son's seat is always reclined a bit in our car right now which makes it very easy for him to sleep.

If your child is still using a Marathon and is past the age of 3, how old and how tall are they? And do you think i should invest in one at this point.
My son is 3 1/2, 29lbs, and about 38inches.

If your child is still using a Marathon and is past the age of 3, how old and how tall are they? And do you think i should invest in one at this point.
My son is 3 1/2, 29lbs, and about 38inches.

Thanks for you help.

My dd is in a boulevard, which is on the same basic frame as a marathon.

She turned 3 in August.

She's 31lbs and 38.5in.

She's rear facing now, though will have to turn ff due to weight soon. (hovering back and forth between 31 and 32 lbs, when she's consistently 32 I will flip her to allow for heavier clothes, shoes, etc)

My dd is in a boulevard, which is on the same basic frame as a marathon.

She turned 3 in August.

She's 31lbs and 38.5in.

She's rear facing now, though will have to turn ff due to weight soon. (hovering back and forth between 31 and 32 lbs, when she's consistently 32 I will flip her to allow for heavier clothes, shoes, etc)

Ff I expect her to have at LEAST 2 more years in the boulevard.

-Angela

I sure wish we could get the Boulevard in Canada! It has some nice features over the Marathon.

Tofie ~ mama to DD1, DD2 and Pookie v3 debuting December 2011Oh my God....women are the COWS of PEOPLE!! --Reese, Malcolm in the Middle

okay, this Thread has completely changed my thoughts on the combo seats so now i am trying to decide whether to get the Radian or to get a Marathon.
T
he installing problems make me a little nervous about the radian and my son loves his Roundabout. As far as i can see the Radian does not recline and my son's seat is always reclined a bit in our car right now which makes it very easy for him to sleep.

If your child is still using a Marathon and is past the age of 3, how old and how tall are they? And do you think i should invest in one at this point.
My son is 3 1/2, 29lbs, and about 38inches.

Thanks for you help.

Actually, we have a Radian and it does recline. It's rear-facing in my car but I will probably have it reclined when I have to turn it around-- we go on long trips a lot and my son always sleeps in the car. Also, my older son is in a Britax Husky (aka Regent) which is totally vertical and doesn't recline, and he manages to sleep pretty comfortably. The harness really holds them in place, they can't flop forward or anything.

I am so happy to hear that it reclines. I saw one in the store and it did not look like it did.

Why do some say that it is difficult to install?

We have a 96 Honda civic, no LATCH, and the seatlbelts do not lock without using the lock on our Roundabout seat. Our son is usually in the center with the lap belt holding the seat, but soemtimes we nee dto move him to the side. Does the radian have a built in lock also?

I am so happy to hear that it reclines. I saw one in the store and it did not look like it did.

Why do some say that it is difficult to install?

We have a 96 Honda civic, no LATCH, and the seatlbelts do not lock without using the lock on our Roundabout seat. Our son is usually in the center with the lap belt holding the seat, but soemtimes we nee dto move him to the side. Does the radian have a built in lock also?

Yes, no lockoffs (as compared to the Marathon). I have also heard that it has been discontinued, but they are continuing to produce it. At least as of last I heard about 2 months ago.

My DS is a little bigger than yours (he was 39-40" the other day, but has been 38" for awhile, must be a growth spurt!). He is in the top harness slot of his Marathon. I am guessing it will last another year at most. However, he has a very long torso, and that is the reason. You should measure your child's torso. (Sit them against the wall and measure from floor to shoulder.)

We originally bought a Radian not the Marathon. I think I am a very good car seat installer and I could not get it to install in my Honda Odyssey. I spent hours! The LATCH install was just okay, and the seat belt install was totally unacceptable. Like, sliding 8+ inches around on the seat. This was a forward facing install. I read that it is due to the positioning of the seat belt buckle as compared to the bite of the seat (where the seat back and seat bottom come together). I have heard similar stories about Toyota minivans.

I have heard many good install stories about GM and Chrysler vehicles.

I bought my DS the Marathon because we already have a Regent for older brother. I figure the Marathon only needed to last me about 2 years when I would move older DS to a booster around age 6-7, and then younger DS could have the Regent. Otherwise, I would have bought him the Regent. I still sometimes think I should have gone with the Regent, but oh well! Too late now!

Well i did it. I bought the Radian today and it installed beautifully in our 95 honda civic. I had a certified car seat person check the install and he said it was great, so i went ahead and purchased it. So far i love it!
My son fell asleep on the way home and his head was falling forward a bit, but he did not seem to mind. Hope that does not end up being a problem.

I am still undecided on what car seat to buy next, but I don't think it will be a combination seat anymore.

If I buy a Marathon, is it likely that my dd and ds (both a bit smaller than average at 3 y.o. and 1 y.o) will be able to use it till they're ready for a booster? I don't want to have to buy a Marathon and then another carseat before buying a booster. I think I need to start a new thread on booster readiness.

It was so fun to hang out with you today, iluvbnamomma! And thanks for letting dd try your Radian. How funny that we are friends IRL and we didn't know it till now!

If I buy a Marathon, is it likely that my dd and ds (both a bit smaller than average at 3 y.o. and 1 y.o) will be able to use it till they're ready for a booster? I don't want to have to buy a Marathon and then another carseat before buying a booster. I think I need to start a new thread on booster readiness.

It depends on a lot of factors- including your comfort level. My dd is in a boulevard now. And there is NO WAY I would put her in a booster from there. From there she will go in a higher harnessing seat (if she was at that point today, I'd get a regent, who knows what will be out in a year or two)